All three catacombs, San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Domitilla, can be visited only on guided group tours run by the catacomb’s own staff. Independent visits are not allowed, and an outside guide cannot lead you underground. A visit lasts about 40 minutes at each site, and all three run tours in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. Some of the catacombs might have russian slovikian languages as well 

The rules are written down. San Callisto’s visitor guidelines state that all tours are led by authorized personnel, and that no one may visit alone or leave their group. San Sebastiano’s regulations go further and rule out private guides by name. If you have hired a city guide for the day, expect to hand over to the catacomb’s guide at the entrance.

Two more rules catch people out. San Callisto and San Sebastiano both prohibit photos and video inside. Both also forbid translating the guide’s commentary for others in your group. If they don’t have the language you speak available , they will provide you with paper pamphlets but you have to follow the tour guide anyway. 

San Callisto wins on significance. Its Crypt of the Popes held nine 3rd-century popes, and original Greek inscriptions for five of them survive. Domitilla wins on spectacle, with the only underground basilica among Rome’s open catacombs. San Sebastiano wins on layered history, from Roman quarry to pagan tombs to Christian shrine.

San Callisto. The official site calls the Crypt of the Popes “the little Vatican.” The popes whose inscriptions survive are Pontianus, Antherus, Fabian, Lucius and Eutychian. The same visit takes in the Crypt of St. Cecilia and the cubicles of the sacraments. According to the San Callisto site, around half a million Christians were buried here, sixteen popes among them, in galleries running nearly 20 kilometers across several levels. You see a small fraction of that.

Domitilla. Domitilla’s own site describes a semi-underground basilica from the late 4th century, dedicated to the martyrs Nereus and Achilleus and divided into three aisles by columns. The Pontifical Commission’s page lists what else the visit covers:

• the hypogeum of the Flavians, a private pagan tomb from the late 2nd century later used for Christian burials
• the cubicle of Veneranda
• the arcosolium of the “little apostles”
• the cubicle of the gravedigger Diogenes

San Sebastiano. The Pontifical Commission’s San Sebastiano page explains that the site was first called ad catacumbas, roughly “by the hollow,” after the quarries there. That place name later spread to every underground Christian cemetery. The same page notes the site was also known as the memoria Apostolorum, because Peter and Paul were venerated here. Turismo Roma describes the visit route: from the cubicle of Jonah, with its 4th-century frescoes, to the crypt of St. Sebastian and a small square lined by three pagan mausoleums.

San Callisto is the easiest of the three to plan around. Crown Tours’ Customer Experience team finds it a well-organized site. Its official pages also publish more operational detail than the other two: guided groups leaving every 30 minutes, a visit of about 40 minutes, explicit physical-access rules, and online booking, which its homepage listed as required as of October 2026.

Booking matters at the other two as well. San Callisto and San Sebastiano both state that visitors with reservations who arrive on time get priority over those without. Turning up without a booking can mean waiting for a later group.

Domitilla takes bookings through a request form on its official site, confirmed by email. It works, but it is a request, not an instant ticket. Allow time for a reply.

San Callisto and San Sebastiano are both on the Via Appia Antica, at numbers 110 and 136, so they pair easily with each other and with the ancient road. Domitilla is off the Appia, on Via delle Sette Chiese near the old Via Ardeatina, and is served by different bus routes. For an Appian Way day, San Sebastiano fits best.

As of October 2026, the San Callisto and San Sebastiano sites both list ATAC bus 118 among their connections, from the Colosseo and Circo Massimo area. The Pontifical Commission’s Domitilla page gives a separate set of lines. Bus routes change, so check the ATAC journey planner on the day.

Two practical points:

• San Callisto’s directions page notes that private vehicles may not drive on the Via Appia Antica on public holidays. Plan a taxi or bus accordingly.
• San Sebastiano’s visitor page says the underground tour ends inside the Basilica of San Sebastiano Outside the Walls. That makes it a natural midpoint for a day on the Appia rather than a detour from it.

All three are underground cemeteries reached by stairs, with uneven floors and cool, humid air. None is a good choice if you are claustrophobic. San Callisto is the only one whose official rules spell out the details: about 50 irregular steps down and as many back up, nowhere to sit, no lift, and no wheelchairs.

San Callisto’s guidelines put the temperature underground at about 16°C, and San Sebastiano’s at about 17°C, both with high humidity. Bring a layer, even in July.

No catacomb wins here. San Callisto simply tells you more in advance. Domitilla does not publish equivalent access information, so if mobility is a concern, contact the site before booking.

San Callisto also bans bulky items, strollers and luggage included. Families with small children should plan to carry them.